15 films in June

15. Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (2.5/10)
I saw this film for first 15 minutes and thought it could be an interesting film in spoof genre but it really could not make up its mind whether this was real or really a spoof. Film has a very thin plot of a widow's houseboy and a divorcee's chauffeur bet on which will bed the other's employer first. Could have been much better with more spoofy jokes and situations.

14. Shagird (Hindi) (5.5/10)
This film was somewhere in between. OIT could have been better if editing was tighter. Acting from Nana Patekar was good. In fact he was in form after a long time. This is the kind of film that would make a goo viewing on TV or dvd but I dont really see myself spending money on big screen despite it having something different although not completely new. Mohit Ahlawat really can't act IMO. Rimi Sen is getting a little repetitive with her shocked expressions

13. Bride Flight (Dutch/English) (7/10)
Wonderful film and a great surprise. I am so glad I saw this film. A romantic drama that charts the lives of three women from different backgrounds, forever changed when they emigrate to New Zealand as war brides. All three of them have something to do with a young man. The film takes us through the entire journey of their life. Beautifully shot in New Zealand, now I wanna visit the country. The acting, story and direction were all great.

12. Shor In The City (Hindi) (7/10)
Very interesting film. 3 stories in parallel but they never meet each other but still somehow it doesn't feel disjointed. There are small moments in the film which make a deep impression. Acting from all principal characters is good. Female characters are wasted. I think Tushar Kapoor did a fantastic job. Again, I prefer these kinds films because they have something new to offer

11. Pyaar Ka Punchnama (Hindi) (7/10)
Only if the length of this film could be controlled a bit, this could have been super awesome. I love the spontaneous acting of the 3 male lead actors. It is straight out of our today's life. The film is a hilarious take on how sometimes girls take boys on a ride for their personal benefit and how a decent man actually ends up becoming a girl's 'kathputli'. I enjoyed this film a lot.

10. Memories Of March (English/Bengali/Hindi) (7/10)
I give high ratings to this film just for the choice of the subject. It is bold yet sensitive but unfortunately the treatment of the film leaves a lot to be desired. Deepti Naval acted very well as an estranged mother who has recently lost her son and is finding out shocking realities of her son's life. But her reactions would change so drastic that there was no reason that at one instant she likes Rituparno Ghosh and the next she hats and then likes him back. It was odd. Rituparno Ghosh in his first film as an actor was very good. Somehow I felt his performance was not very much upto the mark.

9. Luv Ka The End (Hindi) (4.5/10)
Bollywood has finally ventured into the candy floss genre. It is not like there was never the film but this film whose central protagonist is a girl is really a chick flick. When Shraddha Kapoor finds out that her boyfriend (newcomer Taaha) is cheating on him and just playing around with her for some stupid club, she is shattered but vows to take revenge on him. 2 of her best friends are her confidants in the film. The good thing about the film is that it comes straight o point very quick. As a viewer you dont feel that the film is stretching. But still if you put a little brain, it is a dumb silly film for teenage girls.

8. Faltu (Hindi) (3.5/10)
I cannot fathom why this film is a such big hit. The same story was earlier done in 'Admissions Open' film that came last year. I guess that was done in a serious tone whereas Faltu has just one aim- entertainment. But I think I have reached a stage where I have stopped enjoying films if they do not have a meaning behind them. This film is about 4 youngsters taking on the Indian education system. Jackky Bhagnani, Deepak Dobriyal, Pooja Gupta and Angad Bedi were actually all pretty confident and very good in their respective roles. But having seen the story in an earlier film, there was not much originality left for me. Arshad Warsi and Ritesh Deshmukh were actually annoying.

7. True Grit (3.5/10)
A teenage 14 year old girl hires an aging US marshal Jeff Bridges and another lawman Matt Damon in search of her father's killer in the old Indian territory in US. Interesting story but it was sooooo slow that it tested my patience. It really did. Something that could have been finished in about half an hour took forever. The only saving grace was the very wonderful performance of the 14 year old girl. The confidence and determination that she showed was remarkable. This was definitely not my cup of tea.

6. Crimes and Misdemeanors (5/10)
I have a feeling that had I seen this film long time ago about the time it came out , I would have absolutely loved the film. A very famous doctor has been having an affair for over 2 years with a woman who now threatens to destroy his life if he did not do anything about it. WHen he discusses this with his brother, he assures him that he will take care of it. Meanwhile Woody Allen plays this documentary film maker who is falling in love with a co-worker and cannot do anything about hi failing marriage. There were some really good witty one liners which I liked specially the ones that Woody says to his niece. They are outrightly funny. But overall from a movie's perspective, a lot has changed since the time this movie actually came out.

5. Jack Goes Boating (4/10)
Philip Seymor Hoffman's directorial debut is a poignant story of love growing between 2 people and also about love lost between another couple. An awkward shy couple slowly get together and become close as time and events bring them close and at the same time, their friend's life is being teared apart by love lost, infidelity, boredom, career etc. The high point of the film is acting but then again the film is very very slow.

4. Dum Maaro Dum (Hindi) (7/10)
I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the film. I had very low expectations and somehow it worked in the film's favor. Abhishek Bachchan plays a cop who is out to nab the drug mafia in Goa and of course succeeds. Goa has been captured beautifully. Acting by everyone is pretty god. I expected something more powerful from newcomer Rana Duggabatti but he was ok. Prateek Babbar was also decent. Songs somehow fit well in the narrative except the title track. Music Director's please stop spoiling the classics.

3. All Good Things (5/10)
A murder mystery based on a true story which till date has not been solved. Exciting idea and executed well. But why does it still get a low rating? Because I am very curious to know if the director himself knew why he was creating the character of Ryan Gosling the way he ended up doing. Why would he behave in such an odd way? The story is about a latent psychopath man, his aging older power hungry father, and a charming young innocent woman caught up in a struggle for happiness and wealth?

2. Toast (7/10)
I loved this film. I am so glad that I chanced upon this film. I think its the first film that I have seen with food as a background. A young boy loves his mother despite she not knowing anything about cooking. When she dies, he is left alone with his father who is now getting close to their cleaner. She takes the age old route of a man's heart is through his stomach. The young boy yearns for his father's love and wants to cook the best dishes to get his attention. A young chef whom he meets in a restaurant gives him the confidence to leave his father's house and take his dream forward of becoming a great cook. Excellent performances and wonderful movie.

1. Haevnen (Danish) [In A Better World] (7/10)
A ten year old boy Elias is bullied at school until another boy Christian comes to his rescue and they become very close friends. Christian is a troubled young boy after his mother's death and doesn't like to talk to his father but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. There were parts of the film that were confusing and did not add any relevance to the story directly but it was beautiful poetic direction. The boys acted so well specially Christian as the troubled child. This is an interesting cinema with amazing performances, good story and a message.